Bowfishing in the United States: History, Status, Ecological Impact, and a Need for Management Dennis L
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TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANSAS Vol. 123, no. 3-4 ACADEMY OF SCIENCE p. 285-338 (2020) Bowfishing in the United States: History, status, ecological impact, and a need for management DENNIS L. SCARNECCHIA1 AND JASON D. SCHOOLEY2 1. Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho [email protected] 2. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Jenks, Oklahoma In this paper we review the history and development of bowfishing, provide a case study of a high-profile bowfishing tournament in Oklahoma, survey and summarize management of the sport in all 50 states, and provide scientifically-based approaches for its management. Bowfishing has a distinct niche in the evolution of the bow and arrow and in fishing, as one of several methods practiced by many and scattered indigenous cultures worldwide. In the past century, advances in technology, including the development of the compound bow, custom boat and lighting systems for night bowfishing, and improved information transfer have opened the sport to many people previously unable to participate in the sport at a satisfying level. Bowfishing poses some distinct challenges for fisheries managers compared to angling, including the impracticality of catch-and-release, non- catch (wounding) mortality, and by-catch mortality of non-targeted native species. In 2019, we conducted a survey of 50 state fish and wildlife agencies that indicated only nine states had bowfishing education programs and none had articulated management goals or plans specific to the sport. Evidence indicates that bowfishing may provide plentiful opportunities for harvesting nuisance invasive species such as Asian carps (Cyprinidae) and the Common Carp Cyprinus carpio, but must be practiced much more judiciously, and in some instances, not at all, depending on locality, for higher valued native species such as buffalofishes (Catostomidae: Ictiobus spp.), Paddlefish Polyodon spathula, gars (Lepisosteidae), and rays (Batoidea). Whereas in the terrestrial and avian species that bowhunters most commonly target, males reach a larger size than females, in fish species targeted by bowfishers, the opposite is the case. The result is selective depletion of large, older, mature females and evolutionarily disruptive truncation of life histories. We suggest ten of many potential topics for consideration in agency management planning for bowfisheries. We seek to provide agencies information for developing historical, ecological, and socioeconomic perspectives for managing bowfisheries, as other fisheries, as instruments of species conservation, public benefit, and sound long-term public policy. Keywords: fisheries management, gars, Asian Carp, buffalofishes, Paddlefish, archery, bow and arrow Introduction Whether you are a beginning, intermediate, Every aspect of human technology has a or even advanced archer, archery will give dark side, including the bow and arrow. – you something that’s almost impossible to Margaret Atwood find elsewhere. – USA Archery What are we looking for? Basically, any “[Archery] a sport which is as harmless trash fish that will swim, but the main and fascinating as it is old and target today is gonna be some gars… – honorable” – Maurice Thompson (1878, Relentless Anglin’ (2017) p. 1) The Witchery of Archery. 286 Scarnecchia and Schooley Figure 1. Bowfishing from a custom-designed boat equipped with flood lights, trolling motor, and raised platform for night bowfishing. Note the fourth bow on deck and the large stock tank in the image foreground used as a receptacle for shot fish that are landed. Image courtesy of Zach Kjos, North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Bowfishing, the taking of fish with a bow and 2006). With the expanded interest in bowfishing arrow, or a crossbow, is a specialized sport has come major expansion in the technology gaining interest and participation in both fresh of bowfishing gears (Fig. 1), a proliferation and marine waters. It is one of the fastest of bowfishing tournaments with large cash growing segments of archery sports in the prizes, and professional associations dedicated United States (Woody 2019). As one aficionado to the sport. The tournaments, by “combining described it, “for as little as $20.00 you can the challenge of bow fishing with the spirit of get a drum reel and an arrow. You can shoot competition, … can be as fun or as serious as from shore or a boat. Day or night. Alone or you want to make it... Tournaments can range with some friends. You can target Common from a couple of hours to days. The longer Carp to alligators and stingrays.” (Appleberg tournaments are often described as ‘Ironman’ Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 123(3-4), 2020 287 tourneys. Indeed, you have to be tough as nails Bowfishing also affords greater opportunity to shoot for 24 hours straight. It’s the archery to shoot, kill, and maim, often without version of an extreme sport.” (Appleberg 2006). making use of the fish, than is typical in most bowhunting. Liberal or no bag limits Several factors have influenced the growth for bowfishing nuisance species such as the of bowfishing. Ecological changes have invasive carps allow much more opportunity also contributed to the increasing national for take than does bowhunting large terrestrial and regional interest and participation in game species such as deer or elk. Bowfishing bowfishing. Dam construction throughout the is seen by some as providing a service to United States has concentrated pre-spawning anglers. With the increase in recreational and fish in areas such as clear tailwaters especially tournament angler (i.e., hook and line) interest amenable to bowfishing (Mestl et al. 2019). in specific game species such as the basses More shallow, lentic habitat in bays has also (e.g., Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides) resulted from dam construction and reservoir has come a desire to reduce other native impoundment, where fish can be more easily species not viewed favorably by most anglers seen and shot with a bow and arrow. Species but found to be removable with bowfishing. such as gars (Lepisosteidae), which inhabit Such species include gars, Bowfin Amia calva, shallow spawning areas in spring and summer suckers and buffalofishes (Catostomidae), and, (Allen et al. 2020), where they often bask in marine habitats, rays (Batoidea). (Potter 1927) and gulp air during oxygen- depleted times (McCormack 1967), can be Other factors contributing to the increased especially vulnerable to bowfishing. Another participation in bowfishing may be rooted factor has been the increase throughout in human psychology, mental control, much of the United States of nonnative fish, and spiritual training (Haywood 2006). A including the Common Carp Cyprinus carpio, sampling of social media (text and video) Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella and other quickly displays the passion with which many invasive Asian carps (Cyprinidae: Bighead bowfishers pursue their hobby. Archery has Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Silver Carp been recognized as a skill sport in which both H. molitrix, Black Carp Mylopharyngodon hits and near misses fuel the illusion of control, piceus; Hinterthuer (2012)). potentially leading to the compulsive desire to continue participating (Clark 2014). The Improved archery technology since the 1970s, potentially compulsive aspects of the sport including the invention of the compound bow have been described, often with an almost (Allen 1969; Robb 2018), has opened the sport religious fervor, by adherents. The German to archery achievements by many men, women, philosophy professor, Eugen Herrigel, studied and children unable to handle longbows and Japanese archery (kyūdō) in his exploration recurve bows to their satisfaction. Custom boats of Zen (Herrigel 1953). Archery is seen as a with raised decks and elaborate lighting systems source of mental discipline and control (Shōji for night use are now designed and equipped 2001). As Zen scholar D. T. Suzuki introduced specifically for bowfishing (Fig. 1). Increased Herrigel’s (1953) book: “In the case of archery, access to bowfishing information from diverse the hitter and the hit are no longer two opposing media outlets has provided bowfishers an objects, but are one reality” (p. viii). The opportunity to become informed faster than has practice, control and focus required in archery ever been possible. Technological advances has also been recognized and applied as such as cell phones and GPS devices have therapeutic for various life stressors, including increased the efficiency and responsiveness of post-traumatic stress disorder (Bryan et al. fishers (e.g., Cachon et al. 2015). 2018; The Ranch Tennessee 2020). 288 Scarnecchia and Schooley Bowfishing is practiced on a variety of may be greater than in hook and line fishing species of widely different perceived value to (i.e., angling). Many of the species are also society: invasive species such as the nonnative longer-lived than most terrestrial quarry (Bell Common Carp and Asian carps (Bajer et al. 1980; Scarnecchia et al. 2014; Daugherty 2016; Phelps et al. 2017), native, historically et al. 2019, 2020; Lackmann et al. 2019). underutilized but now often declining species A size and age bias and resulting truncated such as buffalofishes (Ictiobus spp.; Solomon age structure can create unnatural selection et al. 2016), native predators such as gars of pressures and evolutionary responses in a fish substantial ecological value (Scarnecchia 1992; stock (Kuparinen and Merilä 2007) that some Bennett et al.